Winter
was in the air but St. Mungo’s church was warm and welcoming on
Saturday 24th for an evening of classical and musical songs, presented
by 19 year old Marcus Swietlicki, tenor. A former pupil of Penicuik
high School, Marcus is currently in his 2nd year at the Royal
Conservatoire of Scotland on the B.Mus course, tutored by Professor
Stephen Robertson.

In October 2018 Marcus was delighted to be
awarded the Pamela Hart 3rd Prize at the prestigious Kathleen Ferrier
Society Bursary for Young Singers competition. In May 2018 he was
awarded 'Highly commended' 2nd Prize at the Molly Robb competition for
young singers at the RCS, as well as receiving the Royal Coservatoire
of Scotland Winnie Busfield Singing Award, given to the most
outstanding 1st year vocal student.

Accompanied by
Michael Barnett on piano, Marcus sang a range of songs to entertain the
audience of over seventy to come along and hear this talented tenor
singer.

The first Act of the evening began with 'Total Eclipse',
the aria from Handel’s 1741 oratorio, Samson. The words are
Samson’s anguished lament at losing his eye sight. Handel also
went blind, and according to some accounts, this aria moved Handel to
tears in the final years of his life.

Marcus welcomed
us all to the recital before moving on to two pieces by Franz Schubert
Die schöne Müllerin (The beautiful mill) is a series of songs
based on poems by Wilhelm Müller.

The first ‘Wohin’
(where to) was written to be performed by a pianist and a solo singer.
The vocal part falls in the range of a tenor, appropriate for Marcus.

The
story is about a journeyman miller wandering happily through the
countryside. He comes upon a brook, which he follows to a mill where
falls in love with the miller's beautiful daughter. She is out of his
reach as he is only a journeyman. He tries to impress her, but her
response seems tentative.

The second piece ‘Am Feierabend’
(Evening’s Rest), finds the Miller troubled when the Maiden pays
him no particular attention, and he aches to distinguish himself from
his peers. The piano channels the mill works in this song, with the
up-and-down arpeggio representing the wheel and pounding bass evoking
the millstones.

While Marcus took a short break, Michael took centre stage, playing part of Welsh composer Karl Jenkins composition Palladio,
inspired by the sixteenth-century Italian architect Andrea Palladio.
The music was used in the 1994 De Beers A Diamond is Forever advert.

For his final songs before the intermission Marcus turned to Handel and ‘E un folle un vile affetto’ (A madman, a vile affection), an aria to the Italian opera Alcina, about love, jealousy, and witchcraft.

This was followed by Benjamin Britten ‘Wild with Passion’
written shortly after he finished the Hymn to St. Cecilia.
Britten took the text from a Thomas Lovell Beddoes poem.

Ending the first half Marcus sang ‘Raymonde Linosier’ by Jake Heggie, from Friendly Persuasions - a Homage to Poulenc.

The second Act took music from the musicals as the opener. 'Maria' from Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story, was followed by 'Anthem' from Chess, written by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus. A well known song from My Fair Lady followed, 'On The Street Where You Live' by Lerner and Lowe.

A piano solo from Michael Barnett ‘Blue Ronda A La Turk’
is a full blown fast paced jazz piece by Dave Brubeck, testing
the pianists skill and stamina at over five and half minutes long.

Marcus returned with 'Bring Him Home', by Boubil and Schonberg from Les Miserables, a favourite with many in the audience.

No concert would be complete without a song from the Andrew Lloyd-Webber stable, and 'Close Every Door'
was chosen by Marcus from the show 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor
Dreamcoat, one of the most popular songs of the musical.

The evening recital concluded with ‘A Bit of Earth’ from The Secret Garden by Lucy Simon and Marsha Norman.

A
great round of applause from the audience was a fitting conclusion to
what had been a wonderful evening of oustanding song from Marcus.

Or had the evening concluded?

As an encore Marcus and Michael returned for an impromptu performance of 'Our Glens' by Buff Hardie/James Donald from their album Keepers.

We wish Marcus well as continues with his training to be a professional classical singer.

Published - 27 November 2018

Penicuik: St. Mungo's Parish
Church (Church of
Scotland). Scottish Charity No SC005838